🍳 Spanish & Latin Recipes

Valencian seafood paella is cooked in a wide paella pan over high heat: bomba rice absorbs a rich seafood broth spiked with saffron, smoked paprika, and fried tomato. What sets it apart is the socarrat — the toasted crust of rice at the bottom achieved by turning up the heat at the end. You never stir it; you let the paella do its thing.

Brazo de gitano — Spanish roulade — is a delicate rolled sponge cake filled with whipped cream and sliced strawberries. The thin sponge must be rolled while still warm using a damp cloth; once cold it will crack. The result is light, not too sweet, and visually striking when sliced. A Spanish pastry staple for spring birthdays and family gatherings.

Piquillo peppers stuffed with salt cod are a classic of Navarrese and Basque cooking, pairing two prized northern Spanish products: the sweet, slightly smoky piquillo pepper from Lodosa and desalted cod. The filling is a smooth brandade of flaked cod, cooked potato, and cream. Served with a piquillo sauce or light béchamel, they make an impressive first course for any celebration.

Iberian ham croquettes made in the air fryer keep everything that makes this Spanish classic irresistible — a thick béchamel base loaded with finely chopped ibérico ham, a crisp panko coating, and a molten creamy centre — while cutting the oil dramatically. Chill the béchamel well before shaping and do not overcrowd the basket: this is how you get the crunch without the grease.

Asturian fabada is the most substantial bean stew in Spanish cooking: large, buttery La Granja white beans slow-cooked with Asturian chorizo, morcilla and lacón until the broth thickens and the beans soften to the point of collapse. The slow cooking and the quality of the cured meats — the compango — are what make or break this dish. A winter recipe, mountain food, built for long Sunday afternoons.

The Basque cheesecake is one of the few cheesecakes baked at very high heat to achieve that caramelized, almost burnt exterior while the inside stays creamy and just set. It was born at Bar La Viña in San Sebastián in the 1990s and now has fans worldwide. Just five ingredients: cream cheese, heavy cream, eggs, sugar, and a touch of flour.

Churros with thick hot chocolate are Spain's most beloved breakfast treat. The dough is fried until the outside is crisp and lightly golden, then dipped into a rich, thick drinking chocolate made with cocoa, milk and cornstarch. A true winter ritual, especially popular at Christmas, Carnival and late-night celebrations.

The real Valencian paella: with chicken, rabbit, green flat beans, and the perfect crispy rice crust. No chorizo or seafood. The original recipe from the Valencian Community passed down from generation to generation.

Lemon and garlic roast chicken is one of the simplest and most satisfying dishes in Mediterranean cooking. Chicken pieces are marinated in olive oil, lemon juice, generous garlic, and fresh herbs, then roasted at high heat until the skin is crisp and the meat stays juicy. The pan juices reduce into a natural sauce that needs nothing else.

Homemade roscón de Reyes is the most anticipated pastry of the Spanish year: an enriched dough of egg, butter, sugar, and orange blossom water that rises slowly until the crumb turns fluffy and fragrant, then decorated with candied fruit and pearl sugar before baking. Tradition demands hiding a small figurine and a dried bean inside. It takes time — the proofing stages must be respected — but the result surpasses any bakery version by a wide margin.

Tortilla de patatas with onion is the most universally Spanish dish. Potatoes are poached slowly in olive oil with onion until soft but not browned, drained, and mixed with beaten eggs, then the whole thing sets in the pan over medium heat with a single flip. The debate between runny and fully set is eternal; the runny version, with a slightly trembling center, is the one people feel most strongly about.

These creamy ham croquettes push the classic ratio to the extreme: more butter, more milk, béchamel cooked long and slow over low heat to develop flavour and reach that elastic consistency that turns molten when fried. The Iberian ham is chopped very fine so it blends into the béchamel without clumping. The mixture rests in the fridge for hours before shaping — a non-negotiable step that gives the croquettes enough structure to survive the fryer intact.

Ham croquettes are one of the most popular bites in Spanish tavern cooking: dense, creamy béchamel with finely chopped Iberian ham, chilled until firm, shaped into small ovals and breadcrumbed before frying. The béchamel is everything: it has to be very thick, almost elastic, so that frying leaves the inside creamy rather than runny. Take your time with it and they come out perfect; rush it and they fall apart.

Madrid-style cocido is the most hearty stew in the capital's culinary tradition: chickpeas soaked overnight, then slow-cooked for hours with beef morcillo, Iberian bacon, chorizo, blood sausage, marrow bone, potatoes, carrot, and cabbage. It is served in three courses — first the noodle broth, then the chickpeas with vegetables, and finally the meats. The quintessential winter dish of central Spain.

Manchegan garden vegetables: tomato, zucchini, bell pepper, and eggplant slowly cooked in olive oil. The most authentic La Mancha pisto, perfect served with fried eggs, meats, or enjoyed on its own with bread.

Asturian beans with ham, blood sausage, and smoked chorizo. The heartiest and most flavorful dish from Asturias, slowly simmered until the beans are tender but intact and the broth turns creamy.

A creamy custard made with egg yolks and whole milk, topped with a layer of caramelized sugar using a blowtorch or iron. This quintessential Catalan dessert is lighter than French crème brûlée and delicately flavored with lemon and cinnamon.

Tarta de Santiago is Galicia's emblematic dessert and one of Spain's oldest, with documented recipes dating to the sixteenth century. Its base is ground almond, sugar, and egg — no flour, no added fat — which gives it a dense, moist texture close to a baked marzipan. It is dusted with icing sugar and the cut-out Cross of Saint James before serving. Simple, direct, and perfectly balanced.

Salmorejo is the creamier, more concentrated cousin of gazpacho. Without cucumber or pepper, and made with more bread and tomato, it achieves a uniquely velvety texture. Córdoba proudly claims it as its own culinary heritage.

Valencian paella is the iconic dish of the Spanish Levant. Cooked in a wide iron pan over open fire, it combines bomba rice with chicken, rabbit, flat green beans, garrofón, and saffron threads that turn the rice a deep golden hue. The finishing touch is the socarrat — a lightly toasted crust that forms on the pan's base and is considered the mark of a perfect paella.

The secret to Asturian rice pudding lies in its very slow cooking and the use of whole milk freshly drawn from northern cows. Lemon zest and cinnamon are the essential aromas.

The secret to wrinkled potatoes lies in the salt concentration of the cooking water: so salty that it barely boils. As the water evaporates, the salt crystallizes on the skin, creating the characteristic wrinkled and slightly crunchy texture.

Alubias con almejas is one of the Basque Country's most celebrated stews. Creamy Tolosa black beans are slow-cooked until tender, then finished with fresh clams steamed open in txakoli wine and garlic. The broth ends up rich and subtly briny — a beautiful meeting of land and sea in a single pot.

Lemon and yogurt cake is the most reliable homemade baking recipe there is: no scale needed, because everything is measured using the yogurt pot. Greek yogurt keeps the crumb moist and airy, lemon zest perfumes every bite, and the texture stays tender even the next day. It is the afternoon snack cake, the Sunday treat, and the one you bring to someone else's house.